Lyena's
Condition
“The
best birthday present ever!”
After spending exactly eight, challenging weeks as an inpatient at Craig
Hospital, Lyena flew home on December 10, 2002, her 34th birthday.
Although her paralysis was unchanged, she rolled into her mother’s
house wearing a huge smile. “It’s the first time since I fell
that I feel nothing but happy. I’ve never been so relieved to be
home!”
Independent
living
The grueling weeks at Craig paid off, though. Lyena came home completely
independent. She is able to care for herself, perform the tasks of everyday
life, participate in a variety of recovery therapies, pursue her artistic
endeavors, and socialize. Modifications to Lyena’s mother’s
house, including ramps, grab bars and a lowered kitchen counter, were
completed just prior to Lyena’s return. And a wheelchair-accessible
van equipped with hand controls and a swiveling driver’s seat was
generously donated, allowing Lyena to drive herself wherever she wants
to go.
Physical
progress
There have been a lot of changes in Lyena’s physical condition since
returning from the hospital. The lower body, involuntary muscle contractions
(spasms) that began in the hospital have drastically increased. Almost
every muscle group below her waist (level of injury) is now active. Physical
therapy designed to trigger and sustain these contractions has built back
several inches of Lyena’s lost muscle mass.
There has also been an increase in what Lyena calls “internal sensation.” Though she still cannot sense touch, pressure, temperature or pain, she feels significant tingling, vibration, throbbing and pulsing in her lower body, especially her feet and legs. For the first six months or so after her fall, these sensations either occurred randomly or were fairly constant. But since May 2003, there have been several instances when Lyena has felt one of these sensations in direct response to something external, such as stretching a muscle or running water over her leg.
There are new victories in terms of Lyena’s mobility, too. During Lyena’s visit to the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis in March 2003, Lyena was able to voluntarily move each of her knees a few inches toward her chest while in the pool. This was the first time Lyena was able to initiate any kind of movement below her injury. Three months later, this modest ability blossomed into independent crawling. At first, Lyena was only able to travel a few inches but within a few months, that distance had grown to 12 feet!
With minimal assistance, Lyena is able to bear her own weight both kneeling and standing. The range of motion in her spine and her sitting balance are also much better.
Related
medical issues
Unfortunately, Lyena continues to struggle with other medical issues related
to her injury. Recurrent, unexplained nausea is the most common and debilitating
symptom. She has been pursuing multiple avenues in search of the cause
and hopes, very much, to eradicate the problem soon.
She is also investigating recent changes in her mental acuity. Since being hospitalized in September for a kidney infection, Lyena has been challenged by unusual distractibility and other symptoms possibly caused by extremely high fevers accompanying the kidney infection. Thankfully, her symptoms have been slowly fading since her return home. Hopefully, no treatment will be required.
Best of all, Lyena seems finally to have gotten a handle on the recurring urinary tract infections so common with spinal cord injuries. After a dramatic climax in kidney infection, Lyena is maintaining a healthy bladder.
State
of mind
Emotionally, Lyena continues to be strong. The one-year anniversary of
her fall was sobering but she has bounced back with new enthusiasm for
her life and recovery. More balanced in her perspective, Lyena is beginning
to turn some of her attention to other aspects of her life, especially
her creative work. “I’ve been nervous about diverting any
of my time from therapies but the truth is, I can’t sustain the
recovery effort without the things that inspire me most. So art, creativity,
my home, my career – all of these have to be part of the picture.
It’s scary but also really joyful. I’m no longer just motivated
to recover. I’m motivated to live.”